Maritime heritage

What is maritime heritage?

the ships that brought goods, services and people to major and minor ports along our coast and inland rivers;

the jetties and wharves from which those goods and services were loaded and unloaded and from which people embarked and disembarked;

the customs houses, pilot stations, bond stores and other port facilities and navigational aids including lighthouses.

They are all part of the support network that now forms part of our rich maritime heritage.

Some of this heritage still exists – at times as buildings and structures that remain operational, though with new uses. Other items have, by misadventure (eg shipwrecks) or changes in industry and technology, fallen into disuse are now relics.

With its rugged coastline and large inland rivers, NSW has an extraordinary maritime heritage. The state contains 1800 historic shipwrecks, including: a World War One battlecruiser, HMAS Australia (1910-1924), a Japanese type A midget submarine, M24 (1942), Scottish clipper ships, colonial trading vessels, steamships and harbour craft.